When Deadlight released in 2012 on PC and Xbox 360 it was met with middling reviews. Critics seemed to agree that the 2D zombie adventure had nice ideas, but that its execution was lacking. It was something that could be great, with a few tweaks here and there. When news of the Deadlight: Director’s Cut broke fans hoped that it would be the answer to the issues. Unfortunately, it’s not the answer, but it is still the best version of a solid game. Graphically it’s the nicest looking version of the game without many of the technical issues it once had. This does mean, however, that its shortcomings are highlighted a bit more.
Although the Director’s Cut is the nicest that the games 2.5D style has ever looked, a lot of the time it is ruined by an over reliance on shadows. So much so that the smaller details are rarely seen which is a shame. There are a few moments zombies may come from the background and attack you even though you’ve lined-up an attack perfectly with them, but these moments are rare. For the most part you can move away from them and aim your attack properly.
These moments seemed to happen later in the game for me. This could be in part because there’s more of an emphasis on enemies in the latter parts of Deadlight. This emphasis on enemies unfortunately is the downfall of the game as well. The opening act is superb, with most enemies having to be avoided or tricked with traps. In later acts it’s much harder to avoid them without attacking them. The platforming of the earlier parts of the game are still there, but they’re a bit fiddlier and it’s a massive shame due to how strong the game begins.
Platforming is probably fiddly due to the controls not being the best. Timing jumps has to be annoyingly precise and the animations can sometimes make it difficult to judge when to pull the trigger. Grabbing ledges also has to be done when you’re extremely close to the ledge. There was one moment in the game I genuinely thought it was broken due to the fact my character was jumping up and not grabbing the ledge above him.
The character, Randall Wayne, also can’t swim, which seems almost at odds with his backstory of an outdoorsman park ranger. It’s never really explained why he can’t swim either and seems like an odd design choice considering there’s not actually that many moments in the game with deep water. The rest of his back story seems to make sense, as he hunts for his wife and child, but for the most part you won’t really care what happens.
Acting is poor throughout which really detracts from caring about the narrative. At the same time though the narrative for the most part seems to just tick every cliché in the zombie film book. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but when it’s performed badly it’s difficult to get behind the characters. Along with the poor acting the sound mix also seems off, with some characters seeming drastically quieter than others. At first I thought it was just my television, but after trying various set-ups I realised it was in game. It’s something that makes poor performances sound even poorer. There aren’t many audio options and you would hope that would be one of the things added to a director’s cut.
What was added to Deadlight: Director’s Cut, however, is a new survival mode which adds a bit more longevity to the game. In it you fight in an arena and try to survive against wave after wave of zombies. You can use boxes to slow them down and pick up various weapons, but eventually you’ll run out of bullets, or take a wrong turn and they’ll get you. It’s a fun enough addition, but one most will get bored of after a few turns. I encountered a few glitches, such as Randall getting caught on scenery, but this is something likely to be patched out.
To try and make you go back to the main part of the game there are also a fair few collectables to find throughout the story mode. Upon completion of it you will unlock a nightmare mode which is basically the entire game, but this time without saves. Considering a playthrough of the game seems to be at least 2-3 hours (and that’s if you’re really good) it’s hard to see who would want to play through it without the opportunity to save. Especially as the animation issues mentioned before will see you die because of mistiming a jump on more than one occasion.
Deadlight: Director’s Cut is the best version of a decent game. It’s sorted some of the technical issues the original had, but fails to improve upon the base as much as you’d like. It’s an uneven experience, with the opening act being far superior to the rest of the game. Although its additions don’t do much more than fix some cosmetic problems the survival mode does add a level of replayability that some may find addictive.
Watch a Let’s Play of the game below.